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Lloyd Griffiths, Head of Communities at Gloucester City Council, said: “Homelessness is serious national issue and one that as a council we have a statutory duty to address.

"We are working hard to assist the increasing numbers of people who approach the council, with a wide range of initiatives including our forthcoming Landlord Incentive Scheme aimed at encouraging private landlords to make properties available to households receiving benefits.

"However, like all urban areas our challenges include an increase in the number of applicants with complex needs, a rise in the cost of temporary accommodation and more people needing assistance following the Homelessness Reduction Act 2016 that extends our responsibilities.

"The demand for housing far outweighs the supply and we find the availability of affordable and suitable housing a real challenge, which means we have to rely on more expensive accommodation such as hotels. Our recently launched plan ‘Planned Improvements to Manage Demand for Temporary Accommodation’ will address this issue further. Helping those in need of housing and support is a priority for this council.”